Latest news with #AnotherLoveStory
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Five for your radar: Love is a Stranger festival, Nobody 2 and more
Festival: Love is a Stranger Ballyvolane House, Cork, Friday-Sunday, August 15-17 Niamh Regan plays Love is a Stranger music festival in Ballyvolane House this weekend. Picture: Molly Keane From the team behind Another Love Story, Ballyvolane House hosts the latest iteration of Love is a Stranger — a mini-boutique festival comprising acclaimed Irish acts and DJs. Caoilian Sherlock, Tessa Rose Jackson, and Fish Go Deep's Shane Johnson get the party started on Friday, before the likes of Niamh Regan, Elaine Howley, and Lullahush take over on Saturday. Expect to befriend plenty of strangers at LIAS. Cinema: Nobody 2 General release, Friday, August 15 Bob Odenkirk reprises his role as lethal-but-lovable Hutch Mansell in this sequel to 2021's Nobody. Connie Nielsen, RZA, and Christopher Lloyd all return too, alongside new faces like Sharon Stone, Colin Hanks, and John Ortiz in director Timo Tjahjanto's English-language debut. The plot: suburban dad Hutch, a former lethal assassin, is pulled back into his violent past after thwarting a home invasion... setting off a chain of events that unravels secrets about his wife Becca's past and his own. Architecture: Cork Heritage Open Day Saturday, August 16 Cork's Geological Heritage A walking tour through the city's ancient past with Thomas Heising. Meeting point 12pm outside Cork City Council on Anglesea Street. Cork Heritage Open Day 2025 Cork Heritage Open Day celebrates 20 years showcasing the city's remarkable architecture and history. More than 35 buildings — many usually closed to the public — will open their doors, alongside guided tours, walks, talks, and exhibitions that bring Cork's story to life. Organised by Cork City Council with the Heritage Council, this free event marks the start of National Heritage Week and remains the country's largest celebration of its kind. Concert: Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory Cork Opera House, Tuesday, August 19 Sharon Van Etten returns to Ireland with her band the Attachment Theory, bringing her powerful voice, magnetic stage presence, and their brilliant self-titled 2025 release to the Opera House. A master of blending raw emotion with soaring melodies, Van Etten has long been a favourite of Irish audiences (they also play Dublin's Collins Barracks on Thursday, August 21). Joined by special guest Angie McMahon, this promises a night of unmissable performances from one of the most compelling artists of her generation. Theatre: The Girl on the Train Everyman Theatre, Tuesday-Saturday, August 19-23 Much-acclaimed psychological thriller, The Girl on the Train, comes to The Everyman stage - starring Laura Whitmore The Girl on the Train pulls into the Everyman in a gripping stage adaptation of Paula Hawkins' global bestseller from 2015. Rachel Watson (Laura Whitmore) escapes her own life by watching a seemingly perfect couple from her daily commute — until the woman vanishes, pulling Rachel into a web of secrets, suspicion, and shocking truths. Following a sold-out UK tour, this psychological thriller promises to keep you on the edge of your seat. — Compiled by Eoghan O'Sullivan
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Make new memories at Love is a Stranger mini festival in East Cork
Festival director of Another Love Story, Emmet Condon, grew up in West Limerick with no connection to any sort of music or event world, but always loved music, which he said his mum Marianne passed on to him. After a lot of travel and some false starts at various careers in his mid-20s, Condon landed back in recession-era Dublin and started Homebeat — a series of house concerts that caught a bit of the zeitgeist of that moment. From there, he kept at it and channelled his energy into it, which is when he said good things started to happen. 'Another Love Story arrived along that winding road through a whole series of chance meetings and friendships, and 11 years later, we are still here, and growing wings,' he says. 'There is very little roadmap involved in working in the music industry, especially as an independent operator, you have to pour yourself 1000% into it, and it is not without its challenges, but I am glad to say I love it so much, and genuinely if you said to me at 20 that I would be doing what I do now, I literally would not have believed it." 'Getting to go on the road for the next two weeks with Love Is A Stranger in Cork and Another Love Story in Killyon Manor with our small, but incredible team, and to get to work with such amazing venues and incredible artists is literally the stuff of dreams.' Scale has always been a very important part of the Another Love Story experience for Condon and his team, and creating a festival at a scale that allows a sense of personality and intimacy to truly exist has always been important. Shane Johnson will feature at the Love is a Stranger glamping and music festival in east Cork. Picture: Taidgh Richards Condon intends to avoid the classic 'festival trap' where festivals become too big to avoid losing that sense of intimacy; hence, the idea to grow outwards rather than upwards. Condon describes the sister festival to Another Love Story, Love Is A Stranger, as a vehicle for him and his team to bring the sounds and feeling of Another Love Story to new and interesting locations. 'We first landed in Cork in lovely Ballymaloe, just coming out of Covid, and have since established Love Is A Stranger in stunning Juniper Barn in Sligo, and we're very delighted to return to Cork to beautiful Ballyvolane House this weekend,' he said. 'We are also very indebted to Cork County Council for their kind support in bringing the event to Cork.' Condon said luck has been on their side since day-one, with a very loyal and lovely crowd of people attending Another Love Story events, saying that keeping the festival small over the years has allowed connections to form between a core group of attendees. 'That group tends to form the cornerstone of most of our events, no matter the location, which is an incredibly lovely thing to witness. We are very lucky with the support we have and continue to get for all that we do,' he said. He said, however, that one of the things he loves most about Love Is A Stranger is seeing an influx of new people from different locations who may not have previously attended an Another Love Story event. 'That is a very real bonus of bringing the festival to new locations and audiences, and it is striking to continue to find absolute gems of people and communities of great, creative, passionate and fun people living in the different locations - festivals are nothing else if not gathering points - and one of the real joys of running a festival is being exposed to these communities through your work,' he said. He said that interacting with local artists from the local areas where Love Is A Stranger is held has been another highlight of the festival, and highlighted the array of talented artists that are set to play at Ballyvolane House this weekend. Cork art folk/electronic star Elaine Howley will perform at Love is a Stranger 2025 'It's very hard to choose highlights. I think Elaine Howley is one of the most special musicians in the country, equally the gentle sounds of David Murphy's steel guitar are a treasure, as too Dan Walsh's Fixity project or the brilliant Jar Jar Jr — but Cork's position as a bastion of underground DJ culture is really interesting, and I'm really looking forward to having people like the gem Gilbert Steele, Patfeelgood from Funksmack, Cee M Cee and of course, probably my favorite Irish Djs the Sunday Times gang along,' he said. Optimo DJs (Twitch and Wilkes) will perform in the Ballyvolane Barn for the first time 'Away from the Rebel contingency, it's hard to look past JG Wilkes of Optimo (Espacio) who is coming on the back of a very difficult few weeks as his long time dj partner JD Twitch has been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, so we are incredibly thankful that Jonnie is making the trip, and I think he is going to receive a very warm and emotional welcome for the LIAS crowd on Saturday night.' Speaking about the location of this weekend's festival in East Cork, Condon described Ballyvolane House as 'an incredible setting, beautifully cared for by Justin and Jenny Greene'. 'Between the lawns and the beautifully restored barns, it provides the perfect mix of outdoor and indoor settings, and also some wonderful boutique accommodation options that is a real point of difference,' he said. Condon said that each setting chosen for Love Is A Stranger tends to have a sense of gentle grandeur and escape, but Ballyvolane has 'a very special sense of being nestled in that gorgeous, rolling East Cork countryside'.
RTÉ News
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Ambient Orbit: exploring ambient sound in Irish sacred spaces
Peter Curtin, the producer of Ambient Orbit, gives an overview and insight into their upcoming events in Kilkenny, Cork, and Limerick. Ambient Orbit began broadcasting on RTÉ lyric fm in the winter of 2022. Around this time, we were beginning to hear the fruits of music that had been recorded in new and curious ways during the second wave of the pandemic. Artists looking to overcome the logistical challenges of recording in an era of restrictions had innovatively set-up recording spaces outdoors. Suddenly, environmental ambience was an intrinsic part of jazz and electronic music with cicadas transporting us to a back garden in Chicago or resonant bird song bringing us to a leafy park in Berlin. Music welcomed the sound of the natural world and there was a perfect synchronicity to it. My colleague Áine Gallagher and I recognised the potential for occupying this space on RTÉ lyric where field recordings from the Irish landscape could be captured and mixed with ambient music; creating an immersive and meditative experience that would allow listeners to reset and escape the noise of everyday life. Since the first episode on October 10th 2022, the non-presenter led programme - now entering its seventh series this October - has collaborated with field recordists, sound designers and ornithologists such as Seán Ronayne, Tadhg O'Sullivan, Fintan O'Brien and Aoife O'Neill in addition to broadcasting field recordings submitted by listeners. Towards the end of the second series, we explored the idea of bringing the programme to a live setting. It seemed fitting that ancient Irish neolithic sites of mythical and sacred significance would be the setting, and solstice celebrations which mark the Gaelic calendar, would be the occasion. Through sound and music, we would attempt to channel how our ancestors would have celebrated the solstice in ancient times. For the summer solstice in June 2023, we invited musicians Larissa O'Grady (violin), Ryan Hargadon (saxophone) and Rachael Lavelle (vocal) to Lough Gur, the oldest standing stone circle in Ireland. With two directional mics pointing towards the lake and the surrounding woods, the musicians responded live to the unfolding dawn chorus and the rising sun. We have marked every winter and summer solstice since then; visiting the Céide Fields, the Hill of Uisneach and Loughcrew along the way, soundtracked by the unique surrounding environment and music from Dan Walsh, Méabh McKenna, RÓIS, Neil Ó'Lochlainn, Niamh Dalton, Gareth Quinn Redmond, Elaine Howley, David Kitt, Elaine Malone and Clara Webster. The show has also been performed live at Another Love Story, Gleo Festival in Limerick, Open Ear on Sherkin Island and Culture Night 2024 in collaboration with the Douglas Hyde Gallery from Trinity College. On 14th August, Ambient Orbit partners with Kilkenny Arts Festival to broadcast from one of the chambers of Dunmore Cave, which were formed over millions of years. Kate Ellis, Nick Roth, Adam Buttimer and RÓIS will join us and we're excited to hear their experimental sounds reverberate around the historical chambers of the cave. Before returning for a new season on RTÉ lyric fm in October, we will be heading to Cork City on September 10th to broadcast from St Anne's Church, with the Shandon Bells providing the backdrop to our programme in collaboration with Sounds from a Safe Harbour. In this hectic contemporary world of digital distraction, we strive to create a peaceful programme of beautiful sounds and music to help the listener to relax, rewind and focus.
Irish Examiner
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
My Saturday with DJ Emmet Condon: 'You can plan a lot for festivals — then chaos theory comes in to play'
6.30 We're up and about and into the kitchen, breakfast gathered and cartoons on, and I hang on the couch for a little while to start the day off. I grew up in a family business (Marguerite's Bakery in Newcastle West, Co Limerick), where Saturdays didn't exist. So, the Saturday morning thing is such a special treat for me. In the course of how I work, between festivals and gigs and DJing, weekends can be taken up throughout the year at different times. So, those Saturday mornings where you get to just hang out and start the day slow, and ease your way in to it, are pretty special. Saturday mornings, Macca comes on NTS, the online radio station, at 10am. He's a great DJ; I really love that show. 11:00 We moved, during covid, from Dublin down to South Kerry. We live in slightly glorious isolation, near Caherdaniel, which is fantastic for a range of things, but a tough find for great coffee. So, the Aeropress becomes a very important part of life in our house. I have to really limit myself. I'm a tea fanatic. I'll have a few cups of tea throughout the day, with one cup of coffee as my treat at 11am each day. 13:00 We have one little girl, Lauren. She's just popped over the stage of summer camps this year. We've been flat out, jumping from camp to camp to camp. One of the nice things about living where we live is that in the summertime there's a band of returning families to some of the little beaches and campsites. So, we have a squad of summer pals who make their way down to the beach every day around the same time. That's what we were lucky enough to do as kids, when we were coming down here. And to see your own little daughter and her friends start off on that step of those lifelong friendships is a lovely thing. I surf quite a bit, or at least used to.. I might try and squeeze in a surf or a cycle and take advantage of all that we have at our hands. 15:00 Small events and small festivals, like Love is a Stranger or Another Love Story, are built on a huge amount of hard work and hustle from a small amount of people. People would be astounded if they understood the amount of hours that went in to [smaller festivals], not to mind the bigger ones that have just happened, like All Together Now. It's phenomenal, the effort that goes in to these things. When you're starting from scratch, you pour yourself 10,000% in to these things, as we did for many, many, many years. Over the last couple of years, as we've all slowed down slightly and once kids come in to the equation, your time and your priorities do, inevitably, shift. Two weeks out, you're on all the time.., but having done it for 11 years now, you also know that you need to give yourself a bit of time and space to breathe. It's important to spend time with your family when you work in this industry, because you tend to be gone for extended periods. You're working late hours, you're coming back pretty drained; happy, but tired. 17:00 You can plan a lot for festivals in advance, until the gate opens, and then chaos theory comes in to play. Our hope, and our way of working, has always tried to be that you try to worry or stress about it, or work at it as hard as you possibly can, up to the point of getting to it. And then, if you've done all that you should do, then the event should run smoothly. The actual event is the tip of the iceberg. 19:00 We may cruise down to one of the local pubs for a pint, either in the Blind Piper or Staigue Fort, which is a real gem in Castlecove, up the road from us. If it's wintertime, it's Munster match time, so we might squeeze a match in with a beer and make our way home. 21:00 I'd love to say I sit down and open War and Peace, but, like lots of people, you tend to be glued to your phone. I don't watch a lot of TV at all. Claire, my partner, is a pretty voracious reader, so she's working her way through a book and I'm either trying to force myself to read something, like a Kevin Barry book, or I am inevitably scrolling through bloody Instagram or reading about sports. I hit the bed, if I'm good, around 11 or 12. Festival days are long and tiring. We tend to be first up and last to bed. But they're also the days of our lives. So you wouldn't want to take the odd late night too tough in that setting. It's worth it. Emmet Condon is a DJ, music promoter, and one of the organisers of Love is a Stranger and Another Love Story. Love is a Stranger takes place in Ballyvolane House, Co Cork, on August 16-17, Another Love Story takes place in Killyon Manor, Co Meath, on August 23-24.
Irish Examiner
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Here comes the summer... 10 of the best music festivals in Ireland
Love is a Stranger Juniper Barn, Ballymote, Co Sligo May 17 Headliners: Crazy P (DJ), Susan O'Neill, God Knows From the team behind Another Love Story, Love is a Stranger is an even more boutique option. The second edition of the festival comprises a small melange of genres, bands, and DJs from around Ireland to help kickstart festival season. There are woodland glades and the Juniper Lake, complete with sauna and swimming deck. As they say themselves, it's a showcase of all of the beauty and richness of the Sligo countryside as summer on the West coast blooms - and there's also a kids corner. But don't let all that overshadow the music. The world famous Crazy P continue their mission to spread the message of disco unity via their DJ sets while Dean Bryce makes his debut Irish bow. Tickets: €95.50 (overnight camping); €65.50 (day attendee) €125 (family - two adults, two children) Forbidden Fruit IMMA, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin City May 31-June 1 Underworld, Jamie xx, Peggy Gou, Caribou Forbidden Fruit has been running for over a decade and has solidified itself into a stellar dance-oriented event. Peggy Gou gave Kylie Minogue a run for her money at Electric Picnic last year and should draw a huge crowd, while Dan Snaith's Caribou play their first irish show since the release of their 2024 record Honey. Underworld released their latest album Chaos Saucer at the start of March, showing they've still got it in their fifth decade together. As well as the big names, Forbidden Fruit also boasts one of the buzziest acts around in New York's Fcukers, last seen supporting Confidence Man at the Olympia - uber cool. Tickets: Weekend tickets €174, day tickets €79.50 In the Meadows IMMA, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin June 7 Gilla Band Iggy Pop, Slowdive, the Scratch, Gilla Band Last seen here at All Together Now 2023 struggling a little to throw himself around the stage as much as he did in the 70s - though putting on one of the loudest festival sets we've ever heard - Iggy Pop returns to headline the second outing of In the Meadows. Affectionately known as Lankum-fest last year, it featured a superb lineup curated by the trad powerhouse. In the Meadows has broadened in scope this year, with a healthy mix of Irish acts spread across the lineup. Coming a week after Forbidden Fruit, it can feel a little like the calm after the storm, but once 'I Wanna be Your Dog' hits, all bets are off. Tickets: €75 Beyond the Pale Glendalough Estate, Co Wicklow June 13-15 Jon Hopkins, TV on the Radio, Ezra Collective, Broken Social Scene Any music fans who came of age amid the blogosphere in the mid 2000s will have Beyond the Pale circled on their calendar this year after the announcement of TV on the Radio and Broken Social Scene, indie darlings who have eluded these shores for too long - this will be their first show in Europe since 2018 . Expect tears when the latter drop 'Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl'. A week earlier than their usual summer solstice listing, Beyond the Pale has cemented itself as a mid-sized, music-focused offering and while there are few accoutrements, the variety on stage will more than suffice. Tickets: Three-day camping €238.95, Sunday day tickets €99 Night & Day Lough Key Forest Park, Boyle, Co. Roscommon June 27-29 Jose Gonzalez, KT Tunstall, The Stunning, The Wailers An over-20s event that also caters to families, Night & Day returns for its fourth edition at the end of June. Thanks to its location at beautiful Lough Key Forest Park, as well as the music there are activities including zip-lining courses, forest trails, boat tours, and a tree-top walk. Jose Gonzalez is making his only Irish appearance of the year at the festival and it's also nice to see Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall on the bill. Sultans of Ping, Fionn Regan, and Lisa Hannigan also feature, while newer Irish acts like Skinner (post-punk) and Dug (folk) offer a glimpse of the future. Tickets: €55 (Friday), €88 (Saturday and Sunday), €185 weekend camping Longitude Marlay Park, Dublin July 5-6 David Guetta, 50 Cent, Belters Only, Sonny Fodera, AJ Tracey AJ Tracey. It's over 10 years since David Guetta last played in Ireland (Oxegen 2013), so what a coup for Longitude to get him to headline - 2013 was also the year when Longitude started up, with a very different outlook; headliners then included Vampire Weekend and Kraftwerk). Now Longitude is like Oxegen lite, a heady mix of the hottest rap and dance acts around. Belters Only have gotten used to the biggest stages, regularly selling out the 3Arena, while AJ Tracey is one of the most exciting names in rap right now. There's no overnight camping, though, which people travelling from outside of Dublin might note. Forest Fest Emo Village, Co Laois July 25-27 Franz Ferdinand, Manic Street Preachers, Travis The brainchild of solicitor Philip Meagher, in his fifties, a father of two from Portlaoise, he created the festival after finding he couldn't relate to existing events. 'I genuinely wanted to create a local alternative to Electric Picnic and do it at a more intimate, indie level with the highest quality bands and a really good experience for an older audience,' he has said in the past. It's grown over the years - 2025 is the fourth edition of Forest Fest, boasting a capacity of 12,000 - into a fully fledged alternative that skews to the wisened, grizzled festival veteran. Orbital are rubbing shoulders with Nick Lowe and Billy Bragg; the Forest Fleadh stage features Mary Coughlan and Sharon Shannon, among more; and there's an 'Ibiza Rewind' stage too. Tickets: Day tickets €85, weekend tickets €240. All Together Now Curraghmore Estate, Co Waterford July 31-August 3 All Together Now. Photo: Joe Evans Fontaines DC, Nelly Furtado, Bicep (Chroma AV DJ set), London Grammar The sixth edition of ATN has sold out well in advance - no surprise considering it boasts an incredible lineup headlined by Choice Music Prize winners Fontaines DC. Wet Leg and Michael Kiwanuka are stellar bookings likely drawing disparate crowds, while CMAT is rightly near the top of the bill. Currently on tour supporting Sam Fender around Europe, expect cowboy hats in various shapes and colours to dominate the beautiful estate site. Featuring beautiful bespoke stages and areas - including the stunning 360-degree-sound experience of the Immerse by AVA stage - there's so much to discover at All Together Now. Tickets: Sold out, no day tickets Another Love Story Killyon Manor, Co Meath August 23-24 John Talabot, Fionn Regan, Anna B Savage Heading into its 11th year, Another Love Story is slimming down to a 1.5-day offering in 2025 - proceedings usually finish up around 6pm on the Sunday, offering punters time to get home to their own bed and set for work on Monday morning. Despite being hit by god-awful weather in the past couple years, the boutique festival (fewer than 2,000 attendees) always has the best vibe, along with lots of kids running around and dogs helping appease weary heads. The music is a brilliantly curated mix of DJs from home and abroad and bands mostly from the folk and indie world. The Treehouse, hidden away in the forest, is probably the best-looking festival stage in Ireland. Tickets: €115 (Saturday), €65.50 (Sunday), overnight tickets sold out Electric Picnic Stradbally, Co Laois August 29-31 Kings of Leon. Hozier, Chappell Roan, Sam Fender, Fatboy Slim, Kings of Leon The big one caps off the festival summer. Twenty-one years on from its boutique debut, Electric Picnic sells out as soon as tickets go on sale, with the lineup still under wraps five months out. It's such a huge site, with tonnes of areas to explore, from the Salty Dog to the Trailer Park, with pop-up quizzes and installations to entertain you on your journey. Electric Picnic in 2025 is whatever you want it to be. As for rumours, Sam Fender, Chappell Roan, and Hozier are some of the big names linked with an appearance, while Post Malone has August 31 free after a gig in Munich the previous night. The Wolfe Tones, who got one of the biggest crowds in the festival's history on Sunday afternoon last night, could finally bid their final farewell with a headline slot. Tickets: Sold out
